Christie to conservatives: ‘Our ideas are better than theirs’

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) issued a rallying cry on Thursday for conservatives to stand up for their ideals and win elections by touting Republican governors as a model for the nation.

The stakes for his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which he wasn’t invited to last year, were high for Christie as he addressed a typically hostile crowd. But a strong performance was especially critical at a time when his political future is perhaps the most uncertain it’s ever been, as he grapples with an ongoing investigation into the George Washington Bridge scandal that has rocked his administration.

But he seemed to exceed expectations, receiving an enthusiastic response from the ballroom full of activists, entering and exiting the stage to a standing ovation and whoops from the crowd.

He urged conservatives to “talk about what we’re for, not what we’re against.”

“The reason we have to start talking about what we’re for and not continuing to rail against what we’re against is for one simple reason: Our ideas are better than their ideas,” said Christie, to cheers from the crowd.

The Republican Governors Association chairman offered a positive vision for Republican governance, touting the records of GOP governors in blue states as evidence of the efficacy of Republican policies.

And he highlighted his own efforts in New Jersey, a deep-blue state, to cut the budget, trim the government payroll and reform education, and got big cheers for his remark that New Jersey elected a pro-life governor.

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